Writing the Natural Way: Turn the Task of Writing into the Joy of Writing
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-10 11:53:33
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Gabriele Lusser Rico
- ISBN：0874779618
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Reviews
Villart
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That`s really interesting！ I`ve read it in a dew days， as it is really captivating That`s really interesting！ I`ve read it in a dew days， as it is really captivating 。。。more
Thomas Nelson
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I used the knowledge learned from this book to write short stories， craft lyrics and prepare talks。 It is an excellent resource for all things in the pursuit of 'writing。' I used the knowledge learned from this book to write short stories， craft lyrics and prepare talks。 It is an excellent resource for all things in the pursuit of 'writing。' 。。。more
1234
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I actually tracked this down today through numerous searches， because I wanted to read it again （I couldn't even remember the name！）。 I have very fond memories of the original edition， from when I read it in the early 1990s。 I found the 'clustering' technique revolutionary for my writing。 I really enjoyed writing when I used it and I wrote much more creative pieces。 Knowing me， I probably didn't finish the whole book！ So there may have been even more good stuff I didn't read。 Originally I wanted I actually tracked this down today through numerous searches， because I wanted to read it again （I couldn't even remember the name！）。 I have very fond memories of the original edition， from when I read it in the early 1990s。 I found the 'clustering' technique revolutionary for my writing。 I really enjoyed writing when I used it and I wrote much more creative pieces。 Knowing me， I probably didn't finish the whole book！ So there may have been even more good stuff I didn't read。 Originally I wanted to get a book today to help a friend with writer's block。 But I think I will also myself make sure to read the whole thing。 I haven't written for enjoyment in a long time （I was a journalist and adman） and I'm sure the techniques will get me going in a fun way。 。。。more
Betsy Mahaffey
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I was skeptical at first， as this seems like simply mind mapping。 However Rico provides direction and focus to reffectively exploit that technique。 I have found that I return again and again to the process developed here。 This has been such a useful resource！
Dona McCormack
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Instagram Review: www。instagram。com/p/B8KqQBuAf_2/To begin， I remember most that I enjoyed my time working through Writing the Natural Way。 I wanted to sit down to the desk every day to read the chapter and work the exercise， do the natural writing that I always thought of as weird， produce the poetry that I always thought of as weird， feel the breed of happy that I always considered kind of weird。 If all the other writing texts and writing support texts I had been reading were school， this text Instagram Review: www。instagram。com/p/B8KqQBuAf_2/To begin， I remember most that I enjoyed my time working through Writing the Natural Way。 I wanted to sit down to the desk every day to read the chapter and work the exercise， do the natural writing that I always thought of as weird， produce the poetry that I always thought of as weird， feel the breed of happy that I always considered kind of weird。 If all the other writing texts and writing support texts I had been reading were school， this text was recess， and Rico was the slightly crazy English teacher with a pile of hair and dangly earrings and a gigantic， horsey smile and high， over-rouged cheekbones out on the playground to watch over things。In Natural Way， Rico doesn't talk about the elements of fiction， or grammar and mechanics。 She offers a process for writing that you might think of as controlled or contained free writing。 I was incredibly skeptical when I first started reading her text， but I gave a few of the exercises a try， and I found the process kind of interesting。 I worked through her whole book and created some really weird， wonderful poetry that I'm not sure has any commercial value， but I like it for a beginning place。 I can see a place for this system when I get ready to start my memoir work， whenever that time comes。If you're looking for a way to break out of your routine， either permanently or just for a break， this is definitely the text for you。 Give this book a chance for a fresh approach to personal writing -- combined with experimental forms， Rico's form of writing can yield some stunning results。 Have fun cutting loose and being creative， fellow writers and poets！ 。。。more
Yousif Ali
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It was amazing book。 Which covers all aspects how to improve your written expression。
Suzanne
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I can't comment on the updated edition， but I read the original back when it was new and I was a girl of thirteen or fourteen。 I liked it a good deal at the time--I retain a certain amount of nostalgia even for the cover， with its paint-dripped typewriter--and the clustering technique taught in the book is one I have returned to again and again over the years。 Perhaps it is， as some have suggested， more useful for poetry than anything else， but I have used it for other types of writing to help f I can't comment on the updated edition， but I read the original back when it was new and I was a girl of thirteen or fourteen。 I liked it a good deal at the time--I retain a certain amount of nostalgia even for the cover， with its paint-dripped typewriter--and the clustering technique taught in the book is one I have returned to again and again over the years。 Perhaps it is， as some have suggested， more useful for poetry than anything else， but I have used it for other types of writing to help figure out what I wanted to say or to help organize a mass of thoughts。 I consider it well worth the time spent reading it and doing the exercises。 。。。more
Katie
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The exercises in this book were precious。 highly recommend for tapping back into your writer。
Eve
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Originally would have given it 4-5 stars。 After some time away from it， I’m sad to say I think it is 2 star。 The exercises don’t promote original writing， and the cluster method leads to “surface” ideas if it is followed on long enough， and while I feel more comfortable with poetry， it did not improve my sentences （poetry is nice but not what I want to write）。
Camille
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In the last chapters Gabrielle， the author， talks about how less writing is more。 Quality over quantity。 Very clear writing is mostly less。 She also talks about vignettes， which are paragraphs that are independent and whole， and she compares them to the DNA of a human body。Overall this book is very good for people who need the help， plus there are also exercises in the book that help you make progress。 The way Gabrielle writes her ideas down is very specific， clear and understandable。 After a wh In the last chapters Gabrielle， the author， talks about how less writing is more。 Quality over quantity。 Very clear writing is mostly less。 She also talks about vignettes， which are paragraphs that are independent and whole， and she compares them to the DNA of a human body。Overall this book is very good for people who need the help， plus there are also exercises in the book that help you make progress。 The way Gabrielle writes her ideas down is very specific， clear and understandable。 After a while of practicing the tools she gives you in the book， they help you make great progress in your writing。 。。。more
Coreena McBurnie
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I absolutely love this book。 I’ve actually had it for years and have dabbled with it off and on， always finding the exercises useful， but recently decided to read it cover to cover and do the exercises at the same time。 I really enjoyed it and found something useful in every chapter， and even ended up with some decent work。 More importantly， I kept my creative juices flowing。Rico bases her work on right and left brain differences， what she calls Sign and Design mind。 She uses a process called cl I absolutely love this book。 I’ve actually had it for years and have dabbled with it off and on， always finding the exercises useful， but recently decided to read it cover to cover and do the exercises at the same time。 I really enjoyed it and found something useful in every chapter， and even ended up with some decent work。 More importantly， I kept my creative juices flowing。Rico bases her work on right and left brain differences， what she calls Sign and Design mind。 She uses a process called clustering to access that part of the brain that sees patterns and to （temporarily） bypass the internal editor in order to get ideas down on paper。 She is a proponent of playing while writing and trying to re-discover that child-like wonder that many of us have forgotten。For me， this is a wonderful approach， as I like to get my ideas down， get the words on the paper， play with words， and then edit it later。 I found myself often coming full circle and making interesting， just like she said natural writing often does。 And most of the exercises take 5 minutes or less。I highly recommend this book for new and experienced writers。 Rico’s approach is fun and easy — deceptively so， teaching us to trust ourselves and our brains to make connections and write from a natural place。 As she illustrates in her book， this method works for both children and adults。 If you are a writer and have ever experienced writer’s block， don’t know where to begin， or are looking to explore your creativity， I highly recommend checking out this book。 。。。more
Michael
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The new edition is a far cry from the earlier。 It is full of psycho-babel and horrid examples of "good" writing。 The earlier edition was a decent writing manual。 This is a waste of good paper。 The new edition is a far cry from the earlier。 It is full of psycho-babel and horrid examples of "good" writing。 The earlier edition was a decent writing manual。 This is a waste of good paper。 。。。more
Deb Cutler
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Interesting use of mind maps。
papasteve
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This is an excellent book not only for writing but for processing life--figuring things out。 There's a nice blend of sciences here: neurology， biology， psychology， and philosophy。 One of my favorite chapters was about creating tension by embracing both/and thinking rather than either/or thinking。 I will use a lot of Rico's strategies not just in writing fiction， but also in my personal journaling。 I read through this book too quickly， only doing a handful of the exercises。 It would be much bette This is an excellent book not only for writing but for processing life--figuring things out。 There's a nice blend of sciences here: neurology， biology， psychology， and philosophy。 One of my favorite chapters was about creating tension by embracing both/and thinking rather than either/or thinking。 I will use a lot of Rico's strategies not just in writing fiction， but also in my personal journaling。 I read through this book too quickly， only doing a handful of the exercises。 It would be much better to take this book as designed， over a couple of months time and do ALL the exercises to ingrain its benefits。 。。。more
JoAnne Keltner
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This was my third time reading this book， and each time I read it， I'm inspired anew。 This was my third time reading this book， and each time I read it， I'm inspired anew。 。。。more
Glen Engel-Cox
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Right-brain studies have been used for years （well， okay， the last 10-20 years） to enhance the teaching process for visual artists， but Rico was the first to extend this research into the realm of the writer。 You cannot deny her scholarship nor her science--the brain hemisphere theory is quite accepted today， and has been proven in a number of ways。 So how does this theory help one become a writer。First off， as any author will tell you， writers write。 Rico cannot give you a magic spell that will Right-brain studies have been used for years （well， okay， the last 10-20 years） to enhance the teaching process for visual artists， but Rico was the first to extend this research into the realm of the writer。 You cannot deny her scholarship nor her science--the brain hemisphere theory is quite accepted today， and has been proven in a number of ways。 So how does this theory help one become a writer。First off， as any author will tell you， writers write。 Rico cannot give you a magic spell that will somehow change you into a New York Times Bestseller overnight。 But if you have ever suffered from the dreaded "writer's block" or had difficulty in spurring yourself to write on a particular subject， Rico provides some exercises here that will help you "tap" into the creative side of your brain。 The basis for all her exercises is what she terms the cluster--a free association on the subject that brings in emotions， colors， sounds， and taste to the visual world of your subject。 Getting you past your left-brain adherence on perfection and sequential order is her first goal， then awakening you to the connections that you are capable of through creative tension， recurrences， and rhythm。Okay， I'll admit that my personal view of Rico is not as positive as the above might appear。 While I saw the advantages of everything she puts forward， I found her presentation of these ideas to be tinged with a slight "new age" flavor， and the only new thing she really brings to the table is the "cluster" idea。 I have used it since reading about it， and I have found it useful， but I'm not sure it was worth the 280+ pages to obtain this one idea。 On the other hand， I've never really been "stuck" for words （I'm sure you could not have guessed that）。A new revision of this book is due this year， and I am interested in how Rico responds to the 90s （or， even， if she does）。 。。。more
Jerry
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For me no other method for starting me to write works as well as clustering。 Often produces ideas I was unaware of。http://www。gabrielerico。com/ For me no other method for starting me to write works as well as clustering。 Often produces ideas I was unaware of。http://www。gabrielerico。com/ 。。。more
LeeAnn
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I enjoyed reading this book， and I will continue to enjoy the writing exercises in it。 I think it would be even better in a purse-sized writing journal format -- that would allow me to read and write without having to put the book down。 They are perfect little writing exercises， that you can do quickly or take your time to savor the experience。 （It's all part of the wonder！ See page 15！）I understand some of the book may be a bit outdated， but the method behind the writing exercises remains timel I enjoyed reading this book， and I will continue to enjoy the writing exercises in it。 I think it would be even better in a purse-sized writing journal format -- that would allow me to read and write without having to put the book down。 They are perfect little writing exercises， that you can do quickly or take your time to savor the experience。 （It's all part of the wonder！ See page 15！）I understand some of the book may be a bit outdated， but the method behind the writing exercises remains timeless。 Brainstorming is something we continue to teach to our students， even though I personally haven't used the term "clustering" that this book uses。 I appreciate the quotes throughout the book from authors of various genres that seem to tie this work to "serious" works of literature， like the poetry of William Butler Yeats or Golding's Lord of the Flies。I especially enjoyed the author's focus on imagination and childlike wonder。 If we could just tap into our childhood curiosity， writing would become so much less a chore！ As the author writes near the book's conclusion， "continue to tap your natural writer with an attitude of wonder and an impulse to story your experience。" Excellent inspiration， indeed。 。。。more
Chris Bridges
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Wonderful book gave me the details for me to see how clustering can help my writing
Brett Buckley
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Excellent technique for finding your way when your writing is lost。 Use these ideas with Scapple。
Judith Ann Kohnen
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This book was recommended to me by an editor/agent friend。 It opens the mind to creativity and helps the writer use the right-brain。 It's fun and useful in removing writer's block。 It really works if you're trying to brainstorm some ideas。 This book was recommended to me by an editor/agent friend。 It opens the mind to creativity and helps the writer use the right-brain。 It's fun and useful in removing writer's block。 It really works if you're trying to brainstorm some ideas。 。。。more
Deborah Watring-Ellis
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I really enjoy this book and have read it a couple of times now， but am still working on doing all of the exercises。 Guess it will be on my "top shelf" for a while。 I really enjoy this book and have read it a couple of times now， but am still working on doing all of the exercises。 Guess it will be on my "top shelf" for a while。 。。。more
Kate
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Gabriele Rico， who is transitioning from this life into the next realm， made a huge impact on my life with this book and with her amazing presence。 I wrote about her here:http://beingandwriting。blogspot。com/2。。。 Gabriele Rico， who is transitioning from this life into the next realm， made a huge impact on my life with this book and with her amazing presence。 I wrote about her here:http://beingandwriting。blogspot。com/2。。。 。。。more
Julie Isaac
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I've used the clustering technique I learned in this book for over 20 years， now。 A truly write-changing book！ I've used the clustering technique I learned in this book for over 20 years， now。 A truly write-changing book！ 。。。more
Leah Soucy
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This book was very helpful。 I am writing。。or trying to write novels but I was able to write a few poems using the techniques in this book。 I think it will be helpful in my writing & I would definitely recommend it。
Perry
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a。k。a。 brainstormingI cannot think of one thing more to say。
Nativeabuse
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First off before reading this book realize that the main psychological left/right brain principle which it is entirely based on has now been proven to be wrong。This really makes most of the books content useless。 BUT some of the exercises in it are still useful， and the idea webs that are used throughout the book can be quite handy。 Just be careful to ignore any of the psychological information in the book。There are much better books on the subject than this ancient 70's book。 First off before reading this book realize that the main psychological left/right brain principle which it is entirely based on has now been proven to be wrong。This really makes most of the books content useless。 BUT some of the exercises in it are still useful， and the idea webs that are used throughout the book can be quite handy。 Just be careful to ignore any of the psychological information in the book。There are much better books on the subject than this ancient 70's book。 。。。more
Jackie Doss
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This should be the text book for all writing classrooms。
Terri Lynn
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This is the BEST book on writing I have ever seen。 I read the original years ago and now the updated version and the techniques bring amazing results。 It is full of fun exercises to go with the clustering activities and it really feels natural and effortless。 If you want to write better or if you teach writing in elementary， middle， high school， college or graduate school or if you homeschool， get this book！
Semi-Academic Eric
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